Tag: chicago | ArchDaily

The Embellished, the Transient, and the Critical Installation / Alsar Atelier

Valentina Díaz — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

In the first months of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic evolved from a localized infectious disease into a chronic global emergency. The bizarre took over human existence, and everyday life was transported into a state of magical realism. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez describes how the town of Macondo was subject to strange phenomena, such as the overnight proliferation of rabbits that paved public spaces with small animals, or the sudden fall of leaves carpeting the streets in green within hours. During the pandemic, these strange phenomena were not far from human reality: animals reclaimed urban spaces during mandatory quarantines, and streets transformed into vibrant communal areas filled with greenery and public life in a short period of time.

Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park Set to Open on Juneteenth 2026

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:30:00 +0000

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is scheduled to open to the public on June 19, 2026, coinciding with Juneteenth. Located within Jackson Park on the city's South Side, the 19.3-acre campus was designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects in collaboration with Interactive Design Architects, with landscape architecture by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Opening events organized by the Obama Foundation are planned between June 18 and June 21, beginning with a dedication ceremony at John Lewis Plaza, followed by the public opening of the campus and museum the following day.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago Flaxman Library Renovation / Kwong Von Glinow

Hadir Al Koshta — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0000

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Flaxman Library renovation project radically proposes an "open book" approach to the spatial experience of the library by connecting two previously siloed floors to create one visually and physically connected space where the collections and the work of the librarians preserving those collections are on view.

Cultural Venues, Fresh Perspectives on Public Space and One Month until the Winter Olympics: This Week’s Review

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 06:30:00 +0000

This week's news compilation brings together current discussions around public and collective space, cultural infrastructure, and long-term urban transformation across diverse geographic contexts. From shared management models redefining public space ownership in cities such as Paris and New York, to large-scale event-driven initiatives linked to Milano Cortina 2026 and the World Urban Forum in Baku, the selected projects and initiatives highlight how governance, culture, and infrastructure intersect in contemporary practice. These themes are further developed through a mix of strategic planning processes, including international test planning efforts in Northern Lviv, and built projects spanning education, culture, and temporary architecture, from a new dental teaching facility in Blantyre, Malawi, to restored and newly opened cultural venues in the United States and Taiwan, and adaptive reuse interventions showcased at the Chicago Architecture Biennial. The international examples outline an architectural landscape shaped by reuse, public engagement, and the evolving role of design in responding to social, cultural, and institutional frameworks.

From Housing Policy in Europe to Large-Scale Master Planning in Mongolia: This Week’s Review

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 05:30:00 +0000

This week's review focuses on concrete responses to shared urban challenges, including housing affordability, long-term resilience, and the role of cultural and material innovation in shaping cities. The selection spans regulatory measures affecting housing markets in European cities, high-density residential and mixed-income proposals in New York, and major renewal and planning efforts in London, Barcelona, Ulaanbaatar, and Drammen. It also highlights research-driven and built projects in Chicago, Buenos Aires, Las Vegas, and Riyadh that explore circular construction, adaptive reuse, and new models for cultural and public infrastructure. Together, these worldwide projects offer a snapshot of how architecture and urban planning are addressing immediate pressures while laying the groundwork for more resilient and inclusive urban futures across diverse geographic and cultural contexts.

Damen Green Line Station / Perkins&Will

Hadir Al Koshta — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

The new Damen Green Line Station reestablishes vital train service to Chicago's Near West Side for the first time since 1948, reconnecting a community long underserved by public transit. The station exemplifies the power of infrastructure to advance equitable development, strengthen mobility networks, and celebrate local identity. Situated along the historic Green Line, it links the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, the United Center, Malcolm X College, and surrounding residential neighborhoods—anchoring a rapidly growing district and supporting a planned $7 billion mixed-use redevelopment around the United Center.

Local Knowledge and Ecological Context: City Making Lessons from Chicago’s Wild Mile

Olivia Poston — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 04:00:00 +0000

For more than a century, residents of growing American cities reshaped their rivers to serve industrial and manufacturing needs. Waterways were straightened, deepened, paved, or buried to support shipping routes and to move materials efficiently across regions. These transformations created an urban landscape in which rivers were treated as productive infrastructure rather than as living ecological systems.

Chicago Park District Headquarters and Fieldhouse / John Ronan Architects

Hadir Al Koshta — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:00:00 +0000

The Chicago Park District Headquarters is an 80,000 sf building comprised of headquarters office space for the Chicago Park District staff and an 18,000 sf field house with gymnasium, fitness and club rooms located in a new 17-acre park reclaimed from a former brownfield site in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago. Like more historical Chicago fieldhouses, the headquarters building/field house is set into the park to give the building a dignified presence and to organize the park space around it. The building is designed to make CPD staff feel like they are working in a park and put them in close contact with the public they serve.

TRACES Installation - SHIFT: Chicago Architecture Biennial / Balsa Crosetto Piazzi + Giorgis Ortiz

Valentina Díaz — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 02:00:00 +0000

Traces is a new collective space in Jackson Park, constructed from 10,000 dry-stacked bricks.

360 N Green Office Building / Gensler

Hadir Al Koshta — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 11:00:00 +0000

360 N Green is Chicago's newest Class A office building and the first built specifically for professional services firms in the fast-growing Fulton Market neighborhood, beyond their historic territory in the Loop. Anchoring the northern boundary of Green Street, the building sits at the terminus of the most sought-after real estate corridor in the city, surrounded by the West Loop's vibrant district of hotels, restaurants, and retail.

SOM Breaks Ground on Concourse D at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago

Reyyan Dogan — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The City of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) have broken ground on Concourse D at O'Hare International Airport, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in collaboration with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), and Arup. The project marks the first building in ORDNext, O'Hare's most ambitious expansion to date, and introduces a new chapter in the airport's modernization. Construction management is led by AECOM Hunt Clayco Bowa, with completion expected in late 2028. Planning is also progressing on Concourse E, the second satellite concourse designed by the same team.

From Milan to Chicago: Architecture Now and the Leading Practices of Herzog & de Meuron, Gensler, and Heatherwick

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 04:00:00 +0000

From Milan's Scalo Farini to downtown Chicago, and from the Tuscan countryside to the UK's retrofit initiatives, recent announcements demonstrate how architecture is evolving in response to climate goals, cultural identity, and urban transformation. Herzog & de Meuron's new headquarters for UniCredit will anchor one of Europe's largest redevelopment sites with a focus on sustainability and workplace innovation, while Gensler's stadium design for Chicago Fire FC aims to redefine the U.S. matchday experience as part of a major waterfront development. In Tuscany, Alvisi Kirimoto's Sapaio Pavilion merges agricultural production with architectural sensitivity, and in the UK, RIBA and The King's Foundation are advancing retrofit as a national agenda. Meanwhile, finalists including MVRDV, Heatherwick Studio, and Mecanoo are advancing in an international competition to create a climate landmark intended to inspire large-scale behavioral change. This edition of Architecture Now brings together diverse yet interconnected efforts to shape how architecture can support long-term ecological, cultural, and civic impact.

On Juneteenth, Discover 8 Museums and Cultural Institutions Dedicated to African American History and Culture

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19th, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States, marking a moment of liberation and reflection on a complex and often overlooked history. Originally celebrated in Texas, Juneteenth has grown to symbolize broader themes of freedom, resilience, and cultural identity, fostering conversations about justice and representation. This day also presents an opportunity to highlight the ways in which architecture can serve as a medium for preserving and presenting African American history and cultural values.

Mid-Century & Mid-Western: Tracing the Modernist Movement in America’s Industrial Corridor

Olivia Poston — Sun, 25 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000

The Mid-Century Modernist movement was more than an aesthetic or material shift in the United States, as it was a response to a rapidly changing world. Emerging after World War II, this architectural revolution rejected ornate, traditional styles of the past in favor of clean lines, functional design, and incorporation of flashy materials like steel, glass, and concrete. Modernism was a break from tradition, focusing instead on simplicity, efficiency, and a vision for the future. It reflected the optimism of a nation rebuilding itself, where technology and innovation shaped everything from cityscapes to suburban homes.

RIOS and Field Operations to Transform Chicago’s West Side and United Center Area into a Mixed-Use Neighborhood

Antonia Piñeiro — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The United Center arena in Chicago, designed by HOK Sport (now Populous), Marmon Mok, and W.E. Simpson Company, was built between 1992 and 1994. With a capacity of over 20,000 seats for sports and general events, it includes more than 6,000 parking spaces in lots surrounding the arena. These parking lots span approximately 55 acres (over 22 hectares) in Chicago's West Side (1901 W. Madison Street). A new master plan, named the 1901 Project, aims to transform this space into a mixed-use neighborhood. Led by design collective RIOS, with contributions from landscape architecture studio Field Operations, this long-term, multi-phase project aims to connect neighborhoods by creating new public spaces and infrastructure on a metropolitan scale. The proposal recently received approval from the Chicago Plan Commission.

Nothing Design Co. Headquarters / Range Design & Architecture

Andreas Luco — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:00:00 +0000

This expansion of an existing structure into a furniture design studio and showroom aims to unify and express a variety of spatial qualities—to make and house furniture, address daylighting and energy performance considerations for a south-facing facade, and build upon Chicago's historical pattern of common brick structures with face-brick fronts.

Unveiling the 15 Most Significant Architectural Events of 2025

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 05:00:00 +0000

2025 promises to be a landmark in architecture, heralding a vibrant renaissance of creativity and exploration. As societies confront challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and technological evolution, architecture is both a mirror to these dynamics and a compass pointing toward a sustainable and inclusive future. This year's architectural calendar offers abundant opportunities to celebrate the discipline's transformative power — from boundary-pushing festivals to thought-provoking exhibitions that explore pressing cultural and environmental narratives.

McDonald’s HQ Workplace / Studio O+A + IA Interior Architects

Andreas Luco — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000

McDonald's envisioned a new central office that would speak to an increasingly urban and health-conscious culture. Part corporate headquarters, part cultural center, school and history museum, the new West Loop office illustrates the power of place to bring people together in a common purpose.